The United States has denied visas to several members of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s team for this week’s United Nations General Assembly, according to Iranian state media. The decision includes the president’s communications staff and has been described by Tehran as an unprecedented hostile step.
Pezeshkian is set to become the highest ranking Iranian official to set foot on American soil since the Middle East conflict began with joint US and Israeli strikes on Iran in February. He is scheduled to address the General Assembly on Wednesday. State news agency IRNA reported that US President Donald Trump refused visas for key members of the high level delegation. Mehr news agency confirmed the same details, citing a spokesperson for the Iranian presidency.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei strongly criticised the move. He accused the Trump administration of trampling on the right of access to information and compared it to the recent decision to bar three major American media outlets from the White House. On the social platform X, Baqaei wrote that when a government closes its doors even to journalists it dislikes and then blocks foreign reporters, including the Iranian president’s media team, it is not managing access. It is trying to hide the truth.
The United States has still authorised part of the Iranian group to travel for the UN meetings. However, the same restrictions applied last year will remain in force. The State Department has already stated that the Iranian visitors will not be allowed to buy luxury goods or other items during their stay in New York.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who forms part of the delegation, left Iran on Sunday evening and stopped over in Qatar. Tehran says it has already passed its conditions for reopening the strategic Strait of Hormuz to the United States through Qatari mediators. Iran has sought to control the vital oil and gas shipping lane since the conflict started. In response, Washington continues its counterblockade of Iranian ports.
The visa refusals add another layer of tension to an already strained relationship. While Pezeshkian will still reach New York and speak at the United Nations, the absence of his communications team means Iran will have fewer tools to share its message directly with the international press. Officials in Tehran view the decision as an attempt to limit their voice on a major global stage at a moment when the war and the Hormuz dispute continue to dominate headlines.
